Gas burner assembly for a gas cooking appliance, and gas cooking appliance incorporating said gas burner assembly

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment a gas burner assembly is provided that includes a gas burner having a burner body. An injector fluidly coupled to a gas conduit is oriented towards the gas burner. A burner holder that is configured to support the burner body includes two independent parts, a burner base and an injector base located below the burner base, the burner base being coupled to the burner body. The burner base includes a hole that fluidly communicates the burner body with an injector located in the injector base. The burner base compatible with a specific type of gas burner and the injector base being compatible with a plurality of types of burner bases.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application relates to and claims the benefit and priority to International Application No. PCT/ES2018/070525, filed Jul. 23, 2018, which claims the benefit and priority to Spanish Patent Application No. P201730971, filed Jul. 26, 2017.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to gas burner assemblies for gas cooking appliances, and gas cooking appliances incorporating said gas burner assemblies.

BACKGROUND

Gas burner assemblies for gas cooking appliances are known comprising a burner body positioned above a cooking surface of a gas cooking appliance, in which air is mixed with gas and flame is produced. This burner body is coupled to or supported on a burner holder which is arranged such that it is attached to the cooking surface and below said cooking surface, the burner holder and the burner body being on fluid communication. In turn, this burner holder supports a gas injector injecting gas into the burner body.

US2017/0038061A1 describes a gas burner assembly for a gas cooking appliance that includes a gas burner having a burner body, an injector oriented towards the gas burner, a gas conduit in fluid communication with the injector, and a burner holder comprising a burner base coupled to the burner body, the burner base including a hole fluidly communicates the burner body with the injector, and an injector base arranged below the burner base, the injector base comprising the injector.

SUMMARY

Disclosed is a gas burner assembly for a gas cooking appliance and a gas cooking appliance incorporating the gas burner assembly.

According to one embodiment, the gas burner assembly comprises a gas burner comprising a burner body, an injector oriented towards the gas burner, a gas conduit in fluid communication with the injector, and a burner holder comprising a burner base coupled to the burner body, the burner base comprising a hole fluidly communicating the burner body with the injector, and an injector base arranged below the burner base, the injector base comprising the injector.

The burner holder is formed by two independent parts attached together to form the burner holder, a first part comprising the injector base and a second part comprising the burner base.

In the prior art, the burner holder is formed by a single part, this part usually being manufactured from brass, aluminum, cast iron, ceramic, heat-resistant plastic, etc. Adaptation of the burner holder to the different gas burners according to different heat powers of a gas cooking appliance means that a burner holder must be designed and manufactured for every different gas burner. At the same time, specific modifications performed in the gas burners can lead to the need to replace the burner holder in its entirety.

In the gas burner assembly of the invention, since the burner holder is formed by two parts, one of the parts, i.e., the first part comprising the injector base, can be a standard part for all the gas burners, and the other part, i.e., the second part comprising the burner base, can be specific for each gas burner. Since one of the parts is a standard part for all the gas burners, the same part can therefore be used for different types of burner holders, and in the event that modifications are made on the gas burners or the burner holders have to be modified, replacing only one of the parts will suffice in many cases. A significant improvement of the manufacturing costs is thus obtained.

These and other advantages and features will become evident in view of the drawings and detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a partial, exploded, top perspective view of a gas cooking appliance with a gas burner assembly according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a bottom perspective view of the gas burner assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a side elevation view of the gas burner assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a partial section view of the gas burner assembly according to line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the burner holder of the gas burner assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 shows a bottom view of the burner holder of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the second part of the burner holder of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 shows a front elevation view of the second part of the burner holder of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of the first part of the burner holder of FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 shows a bottom view of the first part of the burner holder of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The gas cooking appliance 200 of FIG. 1 shows four positions of the gas burner assemblies having different heat powers, arranged on a cooking surface 210, in one of which an embodiment of the gas burner assembly 100 of the invention having a specific heat power is shown. In this embodiment, the gas burner assembly 100 comprises a gas burner 110 in which gas combustion takes place, this gas burner 110 comprising a burner body 111 and a burner cap 112 partially covering the burner body 111, a combustion chamber being formed between the burner cap 112 and the burner body 111. The gas burner assembly 100 also comprises an injector 130 oriented towards the gas burner 110, a gas conduit 120 in fluid communication with the injector 130, and a burner holder 10 comprising a burner base 12, and an injector base 11 arranged below the burner base 12. The burner base 12 is coupled to the burner body 111 and comprises a hole 16 that fluidly communicates the burner body 111 with the injector 130. The injector base 11 is arranged below the burner base 12 and comprises the injector 130.

The gas cooking appliance 200 comprises a gas inlet connected with an external gas supply, a gas duct distributing external gas flow from the gas inlet to four gas taps 220 corresponding to each of the four gas burner assemblies of the gas cooking appliance, said elements not being shown in the drawings, with the exception of gas taps 220. These gas taps 220 allow regulating gas flow to the gas burner assemblies. The outlet of the gas tap 220 corresponding to the gas burner assembly 100 is connected to an end 121 of the gas conduit 120, the other end 122 of the gas conduit 120 being coupled to the injector base 11 of the burner holder 10. This end 122 of the gas conduit 120 is introduced into a hole 18 of the injector base 11, the coupling of said end 122 with the injector base 11 being performed with any of the techniques known in the prior art. The end 122, which comprises a mouth 123, projects from the injector base 11, and the injector 130 is coupled in said mouth 123 by means of one of the known techniques, i.e., by means of friction, by means of threading, by coupling means, etc. In this manner, the injector 130 is in fluid communication with the gas conduit 120, and therefore with the gas flow coming from the gas inlet of the gas cooking appliance 200. In this embodiment, the direction in which the gas flow leaves the injector 130 is therefore orthogonal to the injector base 11.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the burner holder 10 is formed by two independent parts 10 a and 10 b attached together to form the burner holder 10. A first part 10 a, shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, comprises the injector base 11 having a rectangular shape, and a second part 10 b, shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, comprises the burner base 12. In this embodiment of the gas burner assembly 100, the first part 10 a comprises two attachment arms 19 which project orthogonally upwards from two opposite sides of the injector base 11 and allow attaching said injector base 11 with the burner base 12. Each of these attachment arms 19 comprises two branches, although in other embodiments it can comprise a single branch or can comprise more than two branches.

In this embodiment of the gas burner assembly 100, the first part 10 a and the second part 10 b of the burner holder 10 are manufactured from a thin sheet, this thin sheet being a sheet metal transformed by stamping. However, in other embodiments of the gas burner assembly 100, one of the parts, for example, the first part 10 a can be manufactured with a material and technique known in the manufacturing of burner holders, such as brass, aluminum, cast iron, ceramic, heat-resistant plastic, etc., and the second part 10 b can be manufactured from a sheet metal and transformed by stamping. However, contrary to the foregoing the first part 10 a can be manufactured from a sheet metal and transformed by stamping, and the second part 10 b can be manufactured with a material and technique known in the manufacturing of burner holders. The burner holder 10 being formed by two parts 10 a and 10 b makes it possible for both parts 10 a and 10, or for one of them, to be manufactured from a sheet metal transformed by stamping.

In this embodiment of the gas burner assembly 100, the first part 10 a comprises, as seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, four support flanges 13 arranged at the ends of each of the branches corresponding to the attachment arms 19, said support flanges 13 being bent in an orthogonal direction with respect to the direction of the attachment arms 19, and therefore being parallel to the injector base 11. One of the two support flanges 13 corresponding to each attachment arm 19 is smooth, and the other one comprises a protuberance on its surface which allows welding with another surface on which it is supported. The arrangement and the number of support flanges 13 with a smooth surface or with a protuberance can obviously vary, and the number of protuberances to perform welding also can vary.

On the other hand, the second part 10 b comprising the burner base 12 has a substantially oval shape, with a substantially rectangular central body. The burner base 12 comprises a flat horizontal surface arranged in the central body and comprises a circular perimetral wall 15 projecting upwards from said flat surface, and defining within its perimeter the hole 16 in the burner base 12, such that said hole 16 and the injector 130 which is arranged below the hole 16 in the injector base 11, are in fluid communication. In other embodiments, this perimetral wall 15 can have another shape which is not completely circular, or can even have another geometric shape, as long as it defines within its perimeter the hole 16.

In this embodiment of the gas burner assembly 100, the perimetral wall 15 comprises three vertical positioning grooves 17 on its surface, which are arranged spaced apart 120° from each other. At the same time, the burner body 111 of the gas burner 110 is a cylindrical part from which a projection, also cylindrical and hollow, projects downwards, which projection allows communicating the outside of the burner body 111 with the inside which forms the combustion chamber together with the burner cap 112. This projection comprises on its outer surface positioning grooves (not shown in the drawings) also positioned at 120° each, such that when the gas burner assembly 100 is assembled, the positioning grooves of the projection of the burner body 111 are coupled to the positioning grooves 17 of the perimetral wall 15. The burner body 111, and therefore the combustion chamber, is thereby in fluid communication with the injector 130.

This positioning of the grooves 17 of the perimetral wall 15 of the burner holder 10, and of the complementary grooves of the burner body 111, can be different for each of the gas burners having different heat power of the gas cooking appliance. This thereby prevents the interlocking of the burner bodies and the burner holder of different gas burners of the gas cooking appliance, and therefore prevents assembly errors, and subsequent poor combustion of the gas burners. It is a type of simple poka-yoke which improves assembly quality and saves costs. This assembly system to prevent errors can be obtained with different angular positions of the positioning grooves, but it can also be obtained by causing the positioning grooves to have different dimensions, or causing the number of positioning grooves to be different, depending on the corresponding gas burner.

In this embodiment, the second part 10 b comprises, as seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, two engagement flanges 14, each arranged on the opposite side edges of the burner base 12, in a diagonal which goes through the center of the hole 16. These engagement flanges 14 are projections of the burner base 12 bent 180° and leaving a space therein for engaging another part. When the two parts 10 a and 10 b of the burner holder 10 are attached together, the support flanges 13 of the first part 10 a having a protuberance on its surface are supported on the lower surface of the burner base 12, and the support flanges 13 with a smooth surface are introduced into the engagement flanges 14 of the second part 10 b, engaging same. This way of attaching the first part 10 a and the second part 10 b can be different, where the first part 10 a comprises the engagement flanges 14 and the second part 10 b comprises the support flanges 13.

Furthermore, the number of support flanges 13, both with a smooth surface and with a surface with a protuberance, and the number of engagement flanges 14, can be different. The first part 10 a and the second part 10 b can therefore be attached together without having to use welding, the support flanges 13 with the smooth surface engaging the engagement flanges 14.

Once the two parts 10 a and 10 b have been coupled to one another, the support flanges 13 with a protuberance on their surface are welded to the surface on which they are supported, i.e., the burner base 12 or a surface of the first part 10 a. The engagement flanges 14 can remain in engagement with the support flanges 13 with a smooth surface as they are coupled, or both coupled flanges can even be tightened using mechanical means to strengthen the engagement.

The burner holder 10 being formed by the parts 10 a and 10 b makes it possible for the first part 10 a to be standard for all the gas burners, and the second part 10 b to be specific for each gas burner. Since the first part 10 a is a standard part for all the gas burners, the same part 10 a can therefore be used for different types of burner holders 10, and in the event that modifications are made on the gas burners or the burner holders 10 have to be modified, replacing only the second part 10 b will suffice in many cases. A significant improvement of the manufacturing costs is thus obtained.

In the embodiment of the gas burner assembly 100 shown in the drawings, the hole 18 of the injector base 11 in which the injector 130 is coupled is centered on the surface of said injector base 11. At the same time, the hole 16 defined within the perimetral wall 15 of the burner base 12 is centered on the surface of said burner base 12, such that when the first part 10 a and the second part 10 b are attached together, said hole 16 is centered with respect to the hole 18 of the injector base 11. In this manner, when the gas burner assembly 100 is assembled, the gas flow injected from the injector 130 is centered and in fluid communication with the burner body 111.

The first part 10 a, shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, comprises a support arm 20 which projects and extends axially from the injector base 11, and is provided for supporting a spark electrode (not shown in the drawings). This support arm 20 comprises a first extension extending orthogonally from the injector base 11 to about mid-height between the injector base 11 and the burner base 12. Contiguous to the first extension, the support arm 20 comprises a support surface 21 extending parallel to the injector base 11. The support surface 21 is therefore arranged orthogonally with respect to the axis in which the burner body 111 is coupled with the burner base 12, which in this embodiment of the gas burner assembly 100, is the axis that goes through the center of hole 18, the center of hole 16, and coincides with the axis of the projection of the burner body 111.

The support surface 21 of the support arm 20 comprises three holes 22 arranged in a row in the axial direction from the injector base 11 and centered on the support surface 21. Each of the holes 22 comprises a side opening coinciding with the edge of the support surface 21, and allowing access from outside the spark electrode with its corresponding electric connection cable, thereby making the assembly thereof in the burner holder 10 easier. The support arm 20 thereby allows positioning the spark electrode with respect to the burner body 111 in a position in which the spark coincides with the exit of the combustible gas of the gas burner 110 outwards.

Since each gas burner 110 having a different heat power has a burner body 111 with a different dimension, each hole 22 of the support surface 21 corresponds to a gas burner 110 having a different heat power. The number of holes 22 of the burner holder 10 can be different depending on the type of gas cooking appliance 200 in which said burner holder 10 is assembled.

The gas cooking appliance 200 comprises a hole 25 on its cooking surface 210 in the position of each gas burner assembly 100. Upon assembling the gas burner assembly 100, the perimetral wall 15 of the burner base 12 of the burner holder 10 projects into the hole 25 of the cooking surface 210. The burner body 111 of the gas burner 110 is assembled, being coupled in the perimetral wall 15 of the burner holder 10, and the lower portion of the burner body 111 is located slightly above the cooking surface 210, allowing the passage of air.

In this embodiment of the gas burner assembly 100, the burner base 12 of the second part 10 b further comprises two primary air holes 23 arranged on the sides of the perimetral wall 15 and diagonally with respect to the axial axis of the first part 10 a. When the gas burner assembly 100 is assembled, these primary air holes 23 are in fluid communication with the hole 25 of the cooking surface 210, such that they allow the passage of air from outside the gas cooking appliance 200 to the inside, below the cooking surface 210. This air is mixed with the gas injected by the injector 130, and reaches the combustion chamber of the gas burner 110 through the hole 16 of the burner base 12. The number of primary air holes 23 can be different depending on the gas burner assembly 100 and/or on the gas cooking appliance 200.

In this embodiment of the gas burner assembly 100, the second part 10 b of the burner holder 10 comprises two holes 26 on the sides of the burner base 12, and the cooking surface 210 of the gas cooking appliance 200 comprises two holes 27 on the sides of hole 25. When the gas burner assembly 100 is assembled, the holes 26 of the second part 10 b and the holes 27 of the cooking surface 210 coincide and are attached together by fixing means (not shown in the drawings), such that the gas burner assembly 100 is attached to the cooking surface 210 of the gas cooking appliance 200. The number of holes 26 and 27 can be different depending on the gas burner assembly 100 and/or on the gas cooking appliance 200 in which said gas burner assembly 100 is assembled. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A gas burner assembly for a gas cooking appliance, the gas burner assembly comprising: a gas burner that includes a burner body, the burner body including a first one or more positioning grooves; a burner base coupled to the burner body and including a second one or more positioning grooves in which are housed the first one or more positioning grooves, the first and second one or more positioning groves being arranged with respect to one another such that only a burner body of a type having the first one or more positioning grooves is compatible for being coupled to the burner base; an injector base located below the burner base that supports an injector, the injector base being coupled to the burner base and being compatible for being coupled to a plurality of types of burner bases; the burner base and injector base being independently manufactured parts, the burner base including a vertically upward projecting perimetral wall that defines a hole that fluidly communicates the burner body with the injector, the perimetral wall including the second one or more positioning grooves.
 2. The gas burner assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of the burner base and injector base is manufactured from a thin sheet of material.
 3. The gas burner assembly according to claim 2, wherein the thin sheet of material is a sheet metal transformed by stamping.
 4. The gas burner assembly according to claim 1, wherein the burner base includes at least one support flange and the injector base includes at least one engagement flange, the injector base being coupled to the burner base by an overlapping of the at least one support flange with the at least one engagement flange.
 5. The gas burner assembly according to claim 1, wherein the injector base includes at least one support flange and the burner base includes at least one engagement flange, the injector base being coupled to the burner base by an overlapping of the at least one support flange with the at least one engagement flange.
 6. The gas burner assembly according to claim 4, wherein the at least one support flange is welded to the at least one engagement flange.
 7. The gas burner assembly according to claim 5, wherein the at least one support flange is welded to the at least one engagement flange.
 8. The gas burner assembly according to claim 1, wherein the burner base comprises a flat horizontal surface from which the vertically upward projecting perimetral wall projects.
 9. The gas burner assembly according to claim 1, wherein the injector base comprises a through hole that is concentrically aligned with the hole in the burner base, the injector being supported in the through hole.
 10. The gas burner assembly according to claim 9, further comprising a mouth of a gas conduit being fluidly coupled to the injector and coupled with injector base.
 11. The gas burner assembly according to claim 1, wherein the injector base includes at least one attachment arm attaching the injector base with the burner base.
 12. The gas burner assembly according to claim 1, wherein the injector base includes a radially extending support arm to which is attached a spark electrode that extends vertically upward from the injector base.
 13. The gas burner assembly according to claim 12, wherein the support arm includes a plurality of holes arranged in a row along a length of the support arm, each of the plurality of holes configured to support the spark electrode.
 14. The gas burner assembly according to claim 1, wherein the burner base includes at least one primary air hole, the at least one primary air hole being in fluid communication with the hole of the burner base. 